Many times when we think of going on a journey, making a trip, we do so with excitement and anticipation. We look forward to vacations, to visiting with friends or family members, to seeing beautiful scenery and new places, and to doing new and different things. But there are other journeys we face with sadness and dread--going into a hospital for surgery, attending the funeral of someone we love very much. We embark upon some of these unhappy journeys because life really doesn't give us a choice. If we could choose, we would certainly shrink back from expected pain and sorrow and avoid it at all costs.
Holy Week is the time when we focus on the journey of Christ to the cross, to an excruciating and humiliating death. This was always the plan, put into place in the board room of heaven between the members of the Trinity before the foundation of the world. When Jesus embarked on His journey to earth He knew how it would end.
Our journey on earth will end in death, also, but there is a major difference between Jesus' death and ours. We have no choice. When the day God has appointed for us to die arrives, we will be taken into eternity. But Jesus didn't have to die on a cross. Imagine how tremendous the temptation was for Him to wipe out all those leering, jeering onlookers and free Himself from the agony He was enduring. He hung there by choice. It wasn't the nails in His hands and feet that kept Him on the cross. It was His love for us.
Precious Lord Jesus, how can we ever thank You enough for dying for us poor sinner so we could be forgiven and become heirs of salvation.
Heavenly Father, how hard it must have been to watch Your Son undergo such an agonizing death. Thank You for allowing it so we could become Your children. Amen.
No comments:
Post a Comment